


Sometimes I'm Wrong

by BunnySings



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnySings/pseuds/BunnySings
Summary: After Jack visits with Faith, Gibbs drops by to try his hand at being supportive. Post "Schooled"
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Comments: 18
Kudos: 143





	Sometimes I'm Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so this is my very first fanfic EVER. Didn't think it would be Slibbs, but here we are. All mistakes are definitely mine, as it hasn't been read by anyone else. I am posting it against my better judgement, as I haven't written any sort of fiction since probably high school. But, I am desperate for Slibbs, so here it is. 
> 
> Special thanks to coolbyrne, jenni3penny, JamJar98, viceversa, NerdyJibbsOreo... all you wonderful Slibbs writers. I am so grateful for the excellent stories and the inspiration.

It was late, and Jack was finally back at home. It had been a long, emotional day. A couple of days, really. She had been dreading the day Faith might come to her and ask to know the name of her father. Jack had hoped she could protect Faith from her origins. Wasn’t it enough to know her mother gave her up for adoption? Did she need to know that she was the product of such violence? Jack had felt that it was the last act of protection she could offer her daughter. It should not be Faith’s pain to bear.

After meeting with Faith, Jack felt some measure of peace. She felt like Faith had really understood her; really seen her. Most of all, she felt hope that they might find a way forward; that Faith might eventually want Jack in her life.

Jack kicked off her shoes and collapsed on her couch. Her head dropped back and she closed her eyes, as she finally succumbed to the mental exhaustion. Her mind, however, betrayed her as her thoughts drifted to Gibbs. She had been avoiding him for the past two days. Or, maybe, he’d been avoiding her. Things had been strained between them, as they continued to walk the line between friends and something more. Then, he kissed her in the bull pen. Granted, it was on the cheek, but Jack had thought it would be the jumping point to something more… but as usual, nothing happened, and they returned to the status quo.

When Gibbs appeared in her office to check on her, she didn’t hesitate to tell him everything. It wasn’t exactly how she had planned to tell him. Who was she kidding? She’d had exactly ZERO plans on how to tell him. It isn’t something that just comes up in casual conversation. Jack had wanted to tell him for so long. But, fear had always won, and she kept that part of her life to herself.

Anyway, she wasn’t sure he even wanted to see her, after their tense exchange. She knew it had hurt him that she hadn’t told him everything about Faith and upset him even further when she shut down their conversation. Gibbs had said the conversation wasn’t over, but she had insisted it was. Ironic, really. Usually, she’s wishing he would talk to her and yet, every time he’s asked to talk, she refused. Gotta be some good fodder for psychoanalysis in there, somewhere, regarding her sabotage of those conversations.

There was a line, an emotional boundary. Somewhere. It had shifted quite a bit, over the course of their relationship; slowly moving closer and closer to her target. For her part, she didn’t want a line. She wanted to be completely open to him. But for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, she suspected there was a very clear line. The problem rested in the shifting of the line. She was never quite sure of its exact location, which increased the danger of inadvertently tripping over it and their (his) emotional boundaries being reset. 

No, no. Jack wasn’t ready to talk to Gibbs. She wasn’t sure how much more of the “2 steps forward, 5 steps back” she could take... And, she was worried this conversation would knock them further back than ever before. She wasn’t willing to give up all the emotional ground she had gained. At least, not without a fight.

Gibbs had quickly become the person with whom she wanted to share everything. Jack had wanted to go to him after her “conversation” with Rick Martel, but she just wasn’t sure he could handle it. Maybe she wasn’t sure if she could handle it… she couldn’t bear the thought of him looking at her with pity. He knew the horrors she had suffered in Afghanistan. Understood them, even. Those wounds would not weaken her in his eyes. But this? Gibbs was a fixer. This was something he couldn’t fix. Jack was afraid it would change the way he looked at her forever.

Jack groaned when her phone rang, startling her out of her self-analysis. She knew who it was without even looking.

“Look, I appreciate you calling to check on me, but I’m fine. Really.” If her abrupt beginning to their conversation surprised him, he gave no indication. “Gibbs? Are you there?”

Jack winced as there was a sharp rap on her door. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She sighed heavily. “You called from outside my door, didn’t you?” There was no response on the phone but another knock at the door.

She shoved off the couch and opened the door. Her heart lurched when she saw him standing there. Damn him for affecting her so. “Gibbs. What a surprise,” she said dryly.

“Jack.” His eyes drank her in, and he fought the urge to recoil from her slight hostility. He hadn’t seen her since their fairly public scene on the landing. Seeing her now, it struck him just how much he’d missed her.

He had hoped that she would drop by his place, as she so often did. He wanted to call her, even sat outside her place, but just couldn’t bring himself to follow through. Her persistent absence from his daily life had finally driven him to her home, an excuse of food in his hand.

He stood there, staring at her for a moment, hesitating on the threshold, contemplating tossing the pizza at her and bolting for his car.

She forced a smile to her face. “Is that pizza for me? I mean… us? ” she stammered, startling him out of his reverie. He gave her a half-smirk as he passed her on the way through to her kitchen. She followed him, somewhat reluctantly.

“Thought maybe you hadn’t eaten yet.”

His sudden appearance confused and thrilled her. On one hand, she was so very happy to see him. Jack had missed his steadying presence during the last few days. It was only her dread of their much needed conversation that convinced her not to drop by his house, under the pretense of a drink and watching him work on his boat.

On the other hand, he wasn’t one to seek her out after things got tense. Usually, he waited for her. He was breaking from their carefully constructed danced, and it filled her with unease. Her eyes slipped shut as she drew in a steadying breath. “Why are you here, Gibbs?”

He paused; suddenly thinking that dropping by was a terrible idea. Frantically, he searched his mind for an excuse. He settled for a half truth. “I was worried about you, Jack. Haven’t seen you in days. Thought maybe you were avoiding me.” He shifted uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair.

Her eyes widened as her internal thoughts were parroted back at her. “I told you I was taking a couple days off.” She brushed by him on the way to the kitchen. Gibbs frowned. He set the pizza down and followed her.

“Yeah, I remember.” Gibbs poked in her refrigerator, looking for drinks while she collected plates. They looked at each other for a beat, almost daring the other to break eye contact first. Jack smiled with false brightness and headed to the table. “Let’s eat. Don’t want the pizza to get cold.”

They sat down and ate in relative silence, with a few comments about the most recent cases and the weather, of all things, until they had finished eating. Jack slammed her hands down on the table. “That’s it. Are you finally going to tell me why you’re really here?”

Gibbs shrugged. “Thought you might wanna talk.”

Jack snorted. “Isn’t that my line?”

He gave her a half smile and shook his head. “Ya weren’t sayin’ it, though.”

Jack eyed him warily. He sighed. “I’m just here for you, Jack.” His voice cracked as he said her name. He swallowed. “Whatever you need. You wanna talk? Let’s talk. Want me to leave? I’ll leave.” He waited, his blue eyes assessing her. Unable to withstand his scrutiny, she looked down at her hands. He gave a small nod and stood up to clear the table.

Jack watched him move around with a rising sense of panic bubbling up her throat. She thought it ridiculous; so many times she wanted nothing more than for Gibbs to come to her, to talk. And now, here he was, wish granted, and she was mute.

He paused behind her, on the way to the front door, his hand squeezing her shoulder. “ ‘Night, Jack.” She watched him walk to the door, frozen to her seat.

“I punched him,” she blurted out. Gibbs paused, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He slowly walked back towards her and dropped back into his seat. She braced herself for his reaction. He gave none. “I told him he had to leave Faith alone.” She took a large gulp of her drink and swallowed heavily. “He refused. So, I punched him.”

Gibbs blew out a breath he had been holding. “You went to see him? Alone? ” He raised an eyebrow at her. His tone and face revealed nothing of the distress she could feel radiating off of him.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, don’t pretend like you haven’t done your own investigating,” she huffed at him in annoyance.

Gibbs shrugged and offered her a smirk. “What can I say? I like my thoughts to be specific when I’m hitting at the batting cages.” Jack ducked her head to hide her smile. “You were right, though. Not my place to get involved.”

Jack sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.” She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “I just… I just didn’t know how.”

Gibbs nodded slowly. “Did Faith get what she needed?”

“Yes. I met with her today.” She paused, her eyes shining with a wave of fresh tears. “He… he’d told her that we had a fling that didn’t work out, like I’d asked him to… but, Gibbs! She figured it out anyway. She said she knew, because of my reaction to her request.” Her words rushed out with a strangled sob. Gibbs watched her closely, feeling his admiration for her swell. “She knew. She… she thanked me for protecting her.” Her tears had started to fall. She swiped at them furiously.

He stood up and pulled her to her feet. “C’mere.” He stepped in close to her and wrapped his arms around her. She let him pull her tightly against him. Her arms wrapped around him of their own volition and she buried her face into the crook of his neck. She melted into him as he held her. 

“That sounds like a win, Jack,” he murmured into her hair. A muffled sob escaped her as she nodded into his shirt.

He drew in a shaky breath. “I… I don’t see you as a fragile teacup.”

She stiffened in his arms and pulled back, so she could look him in the eye. “How do you see me?” Her voice was quiet and pained.

He let go of her like he’d been burned and backed away, shaking his head. It had been an emotional few days. He was wary of starting yet another heavy conversation, saying things they might regret, once she regained her equilibrium. “S’not the time to discuss our…” he snorted, “elephant.”

She laughed bitterly. “No, no, it never is, is it?” She ran a hand through her hair and turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “Don’t you have a rule against this, anyway?” She willed herself not to cry again.

“Rule 12: Never date a coworker.” He said it with such finality, such conviction; she could almost hear the door slamming on her broken heart.

She rounded on him, her eyes shimmering with grief. “Last time I checked, we were still coworkers. So,” she gestured between them, “What is there to talk about? Why don’t you just play your ‘Rule 12’ card, and be done with it!” _Be done with_ _me,_ her heart unhelpfully supplied.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s a good rule, Jack,” he said quietly.

She shook her head sadly. She felt like the walls were closing in and she could hardly draw a breath. “There’s no point,” she murmured. “No point.” The resignation and sadness in her voice constricted his heart and drove the breath from his lungs. She turned to move away from him and he reached out and snagged her wrist.

He tugged gently to turn her towards him. “Rule 5, Jack.” She brushed away the tears that had managed to escape and cleared her throat. She closed her eyes and tried not to look at him. “Fine,” she whispered. “Tell me. What’s rule 5?”

“You don’t waste good.” Her eyes snapped to his. She drew in a shuddering breath as she took in his face. He was looking at her with all the love and desire she had seen in his eyes that Christmas so long ago. She thought he’d never look at her that way again. He pulled her closer to him. Her eyes fluttered shut as he reached up to tuck a few loose curls behind her ear. “Rule 51,” he said, softly.

He waited until she looked at him again. As her eyes met his, he moved in closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her stomach clenched in anticipation and, God help her, hope swelled in her heart.

Gibbs searched her face. Her expression had softened a bit. He rested his forehead against hers. She felt him exhale and he shrugged minutely. “Sometimes I’m wrong."

He drew back just in time to see a smile light her eyes as she erupted with laughter. He grinned at her, thrilled that he had drawn such a sound from her.

“I like that rule.”

He echoed her laughter. “I thought you might.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “G’night, Jack.”

As he opened the door, Jack’s hand grabbed his arm. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “If you wanna come by in the morning, maybe I’ll take you to breakfast.” He winked at her and flashed his heart-stopping smirk.

Jack’s eyebrows climbed up in surprise. Well, two can play that game. She smirked back at him as she moved a little closer. “It’s a date, Cowboy.” She rose up on her toes and touched her lips to his. His eyes widened in surprise. Before he could respond, she had stepped back. He shook his head and chuckled as he shut the door behind him.

Jack smiled to herself as she watched him leave. She felt lighter than she had in weeks. It felt like she was on the precipice of something wonderful. All she had to do was jump… and hope that he would catch her.


End file.
